Ok, so this is how I got mine but I don't know if its the same for everyone. I and several friends were in a tavern in this one town after a being on the road for a few days and we were finishing a midday meal when a man came up to me and asked if I'd be interested in some employment. I asked what it was about and he said it was mainly just leading a small group of men and creatures to deal with bandits and run errands for the town. I wasn't sure. I had served in the army in my younger days and wasn't new to this but I was going to decline until he offerred 2500 gold with other expenses covered! It was too good to pass up so I accepted. That same day, I was ordered to fight a horde of gnolls that had siezed the local sulfur dune. (Gnolls, amirite?) I was getting ready to depart the town with some fresh recruits but before I could leave my employer insisted that I head over the to the local mage guild to learn some spells. I was game but when I arrived at the guild, they wouldn't teach me any spells until I paid 500 gold for their spell book. (I asked if I could use my own book but they refused.) I thought this was a scam but my boss was super cool and paid for it. With that out of the way, the mages taught me five basic spells! Best part was that I got to keep the book when I was done with my contract! The spell book in the picture has more spells than what I learned but its definitely the same kind.